Center Director - NDSU Research Extension Center

The Director will have administrative responsibility for pursuing excellence in agricultural research and educational programs for the WREC, located near Williston, ND. The Director will provide leadership, supervision and performance evaluations for Center staff, and facilitate collaboration among the Center staff and other research and Extension professionals in the NDSU system, as well as agencies, organizations, and entities that aid agriculture, energy resources, related industries, or economic activities in the region.

The Director will manage the Center’s budget and coordinate budget development in conjunction with the Assistant Director for Field Operations, the WREC advisory board and State Board of Agricultural Research and Education. The Director will provide leadership in obtaining external, competitively funded research and/or educational awards, and develop collaborative projects important to the well-being of rural communities, agricultural production systems and natural resources in northwestern North Dakota.

Research effort focuses on dryland and irrigated crop production practices, crop germplasm evaluation and improvement, plant disease control and management, evaluation of new agricultural technologies, cropping systems and crop rotation research, and foundation seedstocks production. This individual will report to the Assistant Director for Field Operations. This is a joint position between Williston Research Extension Center (WREC) and Extension.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Earned M.S. in an agricultural discipline closely aligned with the Center’s research programs from an accredited institution.
• Three years of documented experience in planning, designing, and implementing research or extension programs in a related field that is aligned with the mission of the center such as cropping systems, agronomy, plant pathology, animal science, soil science and natural resource management, precision agriculture, agricultural economics, livestock production systems, sustainable agriculture, or other closely related fields.
• Demonstrated ability and skills in people management, leadership, team building, effective delegation, and conflict management and resolution.
• Demonstrated experience managing and supervising employees in a collegial fashion.
• Demonstrated abilities in fiscal management and budgeting.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain strong working relationships with diverse agricultural clientele, agri-business, community groups, and local and state policy makers.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, with scientists, agricultural producers, and other clientele associated with agriculture and natural resources.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Earned Ph.D. in an agricultural discipline closely aligned with the Center’s research programs from an accredited institution.
• Significant experience and accomplishments in research and extension programming in an area related to applicable research needs for northwestern North Dakota.
• Demonstrated experience with dryland crop, irrigation, and/or livestock production systems.
• Extensive and documented experience as a leader of multidisciplinary research and outreach programs and a record of accomplishment leading multidisciplinary teams and groups.
• Demonstrated and effective use of agricultural technology.
• Demonstrated success in obtaining extramural funding, and/or experience developing strong collaborative research and/or Extension with other scientists, research extension centers and/or agencies and organizations.
• Significant record of creativity, initiative, and entrepreneurial approach to support research, extension, or outreach programming.
• Ability to work across distance to accomplish research and extension mission with main station and other research extension centers.
• Demonstrated organizational skills and experience with management of projects and resources.
• Demonstrated experience or knowledge of crop-based seedstock production practices.